February 16 letters: Galloway was not the victim of a Question Time set-up

i AGREE with David Downs (The Yorkshire Post, February 11) that the BBC deliberately designed their Question Time invitation to George Galloway to create controversy. It was no coincidence that the programme was held in Finchley, London, which has one of the largest percentage of Jewish people in the country.

But Galloway was certainly not the victim of a ‘set-up’. He knew that the question about anti-Semitism was likely to come up, as Mr Downs says. He could have declined to attend.

He knew that he would be accused of being one of the fomenters of anti-Semitism in this country. It was obvious to me when watching the programme that he had carefully prepared what he would say and he took the opportunity to say it, with the addition of some more of his poison.

It was not Galloway who was set up, but those who want the people in this country to have a true and fair picture of Israel.

From: Anthony Cavill, Archway Joshua Way, Waddingham, Lincolnshire.

BERNARD INGHAM says Gordon Brown’s handling of the financial crash (The Yorkshire Post, February 11) of 2007/8 was disastrous; yet forgets to mention Brown was praised throughout the world for his decisive action and that the UK economy was growing 2009-2010.

During Brown’s Chancellorship, the UK enjoyed 10 years of unprecedented growth and record investment in services and infrastructure. Subsequent Tory policies shave sucked the lifeblood out of the economy. They have created austerity for political reasons, that is to roll back the state, and the main beneficiaries have been the rich and super rich.

Sir Bernard then attacks Brown for causing the strengthening of the Scottish Independent movement; yet again it is widely accepted that Gordon Brown actually saved the Union with his energetic campaigning in the last three weeks of the referendum campaign.

It is Conservative policies which have driven the Scots into the independence camp, many of those policies engineered by Ingham’s idol Margaret Thatcher; it is Conservative policies which will be the prime cause of a break up of the Union if it ever happens.

Unlike Gordon Brown, Bernard Ingham has never held public office or been elected in his life; maybe that’s why he comes across as a trifle bitter as he rails against a man of intellect and integrity.